Traveling cylinder printer with selective indicia on endless bands

ABSTRACT

A portable credit card imprinter for imprinting selected combinations of indicia derived from a credit card and digital character transfer means; the design of the digital character transfer means being such as to thereby materially reduce the bulk, thickness and weight thereof and to thus enhance the portability thereof.

United States Patent [151 3,696,740 Glatt [451 Oct. 10, 1972 [54] TRAVELING CYLINDER PRINTER 3,628,453 12/1971 Jackson ..l01/11l WITH SELECTIVE INDICIA ON 3,090,303 5/ 1963 Manners et al. ..10l/269 ENDLESS BANDS 2,950,048 8/1960 Luhn ..101/1ll UX 3,572,241 3/1971 Waterman ..10l/269 [721 invent E" GM, 29 B Addlsml Place, 3,003,415 10/1961 Herbert ..l01/269 Clifton, NJ. 08112 2 Filed; 20, 7 Primary Examiner-Robert E. Pulfrey Assistant Examiner-E. M. Coven pp 173,561 Attorney-Philip G. Hilbert 52 us. (:1. ..101/111, 101/269, 101/45 [57] ABSTRACT [51] lnt. Cl. ..B41j l/16, B41f 3/20 A portable credit card imprinter for imprinting 53 Field f Search 101 45 5 111 2 9-274 selected combinations of indicia derived from a credit 0 9 card and digital character transfer means; the design of the digital character transfer means being such as to thereby materially reduce the bulk, thickness and [56] References Cited weight thereof and to thus enhance the portability UNITED STATES PATENTS thereof.

2,826,987 3/1958 Eckhoff 101/111 X 10 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures 8A 23 9 3 4 ,2. a l 7 33 v 1 1 41"0? I11 l 56 F D 38 W' J 37 l 1 5 29 I l l m l 8 J 1 33 1 L 1 31 1 E ,4 ;i r:1 .4 s L. .1 e J I u so 27 J 9 PATENTEDHBT- 1 0 m2 3.696.740

' sum 1 [1F 3 FIG. 3 25 24 v 2 :20

INVENTOR. 0H0 G. Glafi ATTORNEY Pmmm 3,696,740

fl'suinanFs Fleflo AMOUNT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is quite common to use credit cards for credit purchases; such cards carrying raised, embossed indicia for identification purposes. The cards are used in conjunction with imprinting devices whereby a sales slip, invoice or the like is imprinted with the markings corresponding to the embossed indicia on the card. In some cases, the imprinter may also include date printing means, as well as amount printing means. In such case, the imprinter necessarily is bulky and of substantial dimensions in order to accomodate the various printing means.

Such known imprinter devices are cumbersome and are not readily portable. Thus, there is a tendency to omit date and amount printing means from the device, in order to make the same more compact. However, in such cases, the date and amount must be written in by hand; With hand written data, billing operations, even when computerized, requires preliminary translation of the hand written data to a form permitting scanning and the like by the computerized billing equipment.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved credit card imprinter which is adapted to imprint dates and amounts, as well as identifying indicia from a credit card; the imprinter having date and amount printing means of a character such as to minimize the thickness and bulk of the imprinter, making the imprinter highly portable and convenient to use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a credit card imprinter of the character described, which is of minimal dimensions, and more particularly of minimal thickness to thereby materially reduce overall bulk and to increase its portability.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a credit card imprinter of the character described, which includes indicia printing means of a design and mode of utility which allows the same to be disposed within a shallow casing of minimal thickness.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a credit card imprinter of the character described, wherein the date and amount printing means comprises endless, flexible belts carrying individual characters; the upper and lower runs of the belts extending longitudinally to thereby minimize the spacing therebetween.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a credit card imprinter of the character described, which includes a shallow casing for mounting the date and amount printing in a manner to render the same accessible for selective movement to printing positions.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a credit card imprinter device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of a roller unit forming a part of the device;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the device with the upper casing section removed, and parts cut away;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the device showing the supporting plate of the lower casing section, with parts cutaway;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the lower casing section with the supporting plate removed;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the device;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on the line 1l11 of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on the line l2--12 of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Essentially, the credit card imprinter of the instant invention comprises a casing made up of a pair of overlying, hingedly connected sections. The lower casing section carries a support plate for mounting thereon the usual credit card and multileaf invoice slip with interposed carbons, Within the lower casing section there is mounted two sets of endless movable narrow belts of flexible material carrying indicia.

The support plate in the lower casing section is formed with a pair of slots through which selected indicia on the belts appear, to provide in one case a date and in the other the numerical amount of the particular invoice. The belts are moved by way of suitable openings formed in the bottom wall of the lower casing section, through suitable manipulation to bring the selected digits or other indicia into registry with the slots in the support plate.

The upper casing section is provided with a longitudinally extending slot for mounting therein handle means available for external manipulation, the handle means being connected internally of the casing section to a roller which by suitable movement of the handle means traverses the interior of the casing to press the invoice into contact with the credit card and the indicia showing through the slots in the support plate, to thereby effect the imprint of corresponding information on the invoice by way of the interposed carbons.

Thus. as shown in the drawing, and particularly FIGS. 1-4; 10 designates a credit card imprinter embodying the invention. The same comprises a casing 11 of minimal dimensions and particularly of markedly reduced thickness so as to render the same compact, light in weight and readily carried on the person of the user of the same.

The casing 11 comprises a shallow lower section 12 and a shallow upper section 13; the sections 12, 13 being hinged together at one end as at 14; having snap type connecting means 15 at the other end thereof. The sections 12, 13 are formed of molded plastic such as polystyrene or the like.

In using device 10, a credit card C and a multileaf invoice I having the usual interleaved carbons, are interposed between the sections 12, 13 so that certain indicia in the form of raised digits and letters on card C may be imprinted on invoice I. Further, other information including a date and invoice amount is also imprinted on the invoice I.

To this end, upper casing section 13 is formed with a longitudinal slot 16 in its top wall 17, which terminates short of the opposite end edges 18, 19 thereof. A pressure roller R is mounted on the underside of top wall 17 by way of a spring holder 20 having depending portions 21 for journalling reduced shaft portions 22 of roller R. A stem 23 extends through slot 16 and is secured to a midportion of holder 20. A head portion 24 is secured to the upper end of stem 23 and straddles slot 16; a handle 25 hingedly connected to head portion 24 allows for traversing movement of roller R in opposite directions. An edge portion of upper section 13 is recessed as at 28A to pass card C as the same is partially inserted between sections 12, 13.

The lower casing section 12 comprises a bottom wall 26 with upstanding side walls 27, 28 and upstanding end walls 29, 30. A thin support plate 31 of molded plastic is mounted at the upper, open end of easing section 12. To this end, internally threaded posts 32 are molded in upstanding relation from bottom wall 26 and are of a hight to properly locate support plate 31 which is secured in place by screws 33 passing through openings in the plate and threaded into posts 32.

Plate 31 is formed with a pair of rectangular slots 34, 35; slot 34 being located adjacent the juncture of side wall 29 and end wall 30, while slot 35 is located inwardly of slot 34 and intermediate side walls 27, 28. Plate 31 is further provided with small bosses 36 for locating the credit card C in proper position on plate 31.

A set of narrow endless indicia carrying belts in side by side relation, generally indicated at 37 are arranged within lower casing section 12, for suitable movement to present selected digits in slot 34; and a second set of similar endless belts, generally indicated at 38 are disposed to present selected digits in slot 35. The belts are formed of molded synthetic resin such as polypropylene or the like and carry molded digits D on the outer surfaces thereof.

The set of belts 36 are mounted on a pair of longitudinally displaced, non-rotatable bearing members 40, 41 which are interconnected by a thin plate member 42. Bearing member 40 is formed with a convex rear surface 43 about which the belts 37 pass, and a flat top surface 44 which presents the selected digits D on belts 37 in a raised position through slot 34. The edge portion 45 of slot 34 in plate 31 is bevelled as at 46 to smoothly pass upper run portions of belts 37 beneath plate 31 as the belts are advanced to present the selected digits in slot 34.

Bearing member 41 about which the other end of belts 37 are entrained, is similar to member 40 except that its vertical dimension is somewhat less then that of member 40, thereby permitting the upper run of belts 37 to pass beneath support plate 42.

The assembly of bearing members 40, 41 and plate 42 are mounted within lower casing section 12 by way of spaced pairs of posts 47, 48 molded in upstanding relation to bottom wall 26 and a second set of posts 49, 50 also molded in upstanding relation to bottom wall 26. Posts 47, 49 are laterally aligned to receive therein reduced end portions 51 of member 40 and posts 48, 50 are laterally aligned to receive therein reduced end portions 52 of member 41.

The bottom wall 26 of casing section 12 is formed with a rectangular opening 53 through which lower run portions of belts 37 are accessible for suitable engagement to advance the same individually, and thereby present the desired digits thereon to slot 34. The plate 42 is in upwardly raised relation to the bottom portions of bearing members 40, 41 which it interconnects, thus permitting the lower runs of belts 37 to be supported thereby and to be accessible through opening 53.

Similarly, the second set of belts 38 are mounted on a pair of bearing members 40', 41 which are interconnected by a thin plate member 42'; the members 40, 41 having convex surface portions about which the belt members 38 are entrained for convenient advancement to present selected digits 0, thereon to slot 35. However, in this case, plate member 42' has an upstanding support 54 located to align with slot 35 and being of a height sufficient to project the digits D on belts 38 through slot 35. Reduced ends 54A on member 54 are received between posts 54' upstanding from bottom wall 26.

Bearing members 40', 41' are mounted in pairs of posts 47, 48' upstanding from bottom wall 26 and the posts 49, 50, by way of reduced end portions 51', 52' of said members 40', 41'. The bottom wall 26 is formed with a second rectangular opening 55; the plate member 42' being opposed thereto so that the lower run portions of belts 38 supported thereon are accessible through said opening for engagement to advance the same and thereby present selected digits D thereon to slot 35. Plate member 42' is slightly raised relative to wall 26 to allow belts 38 to be supported thereon.

The support plate 31 has integrally molded on the underside thereof depending, parallel, thin separator portions 56 positioned to keep belts 38 in laterally separated relation. A set of similar separator portions are disposed adjacent slot 34 to separate belts 37.

For the purpose of advancing belts 37, 38 to present selected digits thereon to slots 34, 35; the lower run portions of said belts, which are accessible through openings 53, 55 are provided with small well portions 57 which are adapted to receive the pointed end of a pencil or the like, for manually advancing the belts. The location of well portions 57 on belts 37, 38 are predetermined in relation to the digit bearing portion of said belts, to allow all of the digits to be successively presented in slots 34, 35.

It will be apparent that the device 10 may be readily manipulated to present the proper digits in slots 34, 35 to designate a date and invoice amount, merely by turning the device to bring the bottom openings 53, 55 into view and manipulating belts 37 38 as previously described. The device may then be opened to locate card C and invoice V in proper position on support plate 31. On closing the casing sections 12, 13; the roller R is moved by way of handle 25 to traverse the casing end to end, thereby impressing the printing digits of belts 37, 38, as well as the indicia on card C against invoice V to imprint the same with the desired data.

Since the embossments on card C and the digits on belts 37, 38 will tend to raise one end of roller R; a cam edge 60 is formed on plate 31 adjacent casing wall 27, to raise the other end of roller R an equal amount and thus maintaining the rotational axis of roller R at a uniform horizontal level.

The use of belts 37, 38 with a suitable longitudinal spacing of the bearing members 40, 41; 40', 41',

materially minimizes the vertical spacing between the upper and lower runs of said belts; thereby allowing casing sections 12, 13 to be of minimal thickness. lt follows that device may be so compact as to allow the same to be carried in a pocket of the user.

Means may be provided for accurately locating the digits, D, D in slots 34, 35 to insure clear transmitted impressions on invoice I. To this end, plates 42, 42' are formed on their outer faces with transverse grooves 58 and belts 37, 38 are formed on their inner faces with shallow complementary projections 59 which are receivable in grooves 58. Thus, as belts 37, 38 are advanced by means of well portions 57; the belts are registered in successive positions by projections 59 mating with grooves 58, to thereby accurately locate the digits D, D on bearing surface 44 or member 54.

As shown in FIG. 10, the outer surface of bottom wall 26 may carry columns of numbers from 1 to 0 and indicated at 65. Such columns 65 are located adjacent openings 53, 55 and are used to determine the extent of movement of belts 37, 38 to present selected digits D. D in slots 34, 35 which are correlated to said column of numbers.

lclaim:

l. A portable imprinter device for recording indicia on blank invoices, said device comprising a casing, said casing comprising a pair of superposed shallow casing sections and means for hingedly connecting said casing sections, the lowermost casing section being formed.

with at least one rectangular opening in the bottom wall thereof, a support plate for carrying a credit card and a blank invoice mounted on the peripheral edge of said lowermost casing section, said support plate being formed with a slot opening aligned with a portion of the opening in said casing section bottom wall, a set of laterally adjacent, flexible, endless indicia carrying belts, means for mounting said set of belts within said lowermost casing section to dispose the vertically related upper and lower run portions of said belts in closely spaced relation to each other, said belts being arranged to locate indicia carrying portions thereof within said slot opening and to locate lower run portions thereof opposite said rectangular opening, said lower run portions being accessible for movement to dispose selected indicia on each of said belts in said slot opening, and roller means mounted in said uppermost casing section for traversing movement over said support plate for pressing said blank invoice into contact with said credit card and the indicia disposed in said slot opening.

2. An imprinter device as in claim 1, wherein said belt mounting means comprises a pair of parallel belt engaging members having arcuate surface portions about which opposite end portions of said belts are entrained, said belt engaging members being located at opposite ends of said rectangular opening.

3. An imprinter device as in claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of said lowermost casing section is formed with a second rectangular opening adjacent said first rectangular opening, said support plate being formed with a second slot opening located in alignment with a portion of said second rectangular opening intermediate the ends thereof, a second set of laterally adjacent, flexible, endless indicia carrying belts, means for ountin said second et of belts to dis os the verticaii y relate d upper and fower run portio s thereof in closely spaced relation to each other, said second set of belts being arranged to locate indicia carrying portions thereof within said second slot opening and to locate lower run portions thereof opposite said second rectangular opening, each of said belt mounting means comprising a pair of parallel belt engaging members having arcuate surface portions about which opposite end portions of said sets of belts are entrained, said belt engaging members being located at opposite ends of said rectangular openings, the pair of belt engaging members associated with said first set of belts having one of the belt engaging members thereof located in alignment with said first slot opening, said one belt engaging member including means for supporting a selected portion of said first set of belts to project the indicia on said selected belt portions aid first slot opening.

4. An imprinter as in claim 3, and further including belt support means located in alignment with said second slot opening for supporting selected portions of said second set of belts to project the indicia thereon through said second slot opening.

5. An imprinter device as in claim 1 and further including guide means projecting downwardly from the underside of said support plate for guiding the movement of the individual belts of said set of belts.

6. An imprinter device as in claim 2, wherein said belt engaging members further include flat surface portions for supporting selected portions of said belts to project the indicia thereon through said slot opening.

7. An imprinter device as in claim 2, and further including means on said lowermost casing section for non-rotatably mounting said belt engaging members.

8. An imprinter device as in claim 3, and further including plate means interconnecting said belt engaging members, said plate means being located opposite the rectangular opening in the bottom wall of the lowermost casing section, said belt members contacting the outer surface of said plate means.

9. An imprinter device as in claim 8, wherein said plate means is formed with a plurality of grooves on the outer surface thereof, said belts having on the inner surface thereof projections receivable in said grooves for registering selected indicia on said belts in said slot openings.

10. An imprinter device as in claim 1 and further including means on said belts accessible through the rectangular opening in the bottom wall of said lowermost casing section for engagement by an implement to advance said belts. 

1. A portable imprinter device for recording indicia on blank invoices, said device comprising a casing, said casing comprising a pair of superposed shallow casing sections and means for hingedly connecting said casing sections, the lowermost casing section being formed with at least one rectangular opening in the bottom wall thereof, a support plate for carrying a credit card and a blank invoice mounted on the peripheral edge of said lowermost casing section, said support plate being formed with a slot opening aligned with a portion of the opening in said casing section bottom wall, a set of laterally adjacent, flexible, endless indicia carrying belts, means for mounting said set of belts within said lowermost casing section to dispose the vertically related upper and lower run portions of saiD belts in closely spaced relation to each other, said belts being arranged to locate indicia carrying portions thereof within said slot opening and to locate lower run portions thereof opposite said rectangular opening, said lower run portions being accessible for movement to dispose selected indicia on each of said belts in said slot opening, and roller means mounted in said uppermost casing section for traversing movement over said support plate for pressing said blank invoice into contact with said credit card and the indicia disposed in said slot opening.
 2. An imprinter device as in claim 1, wherein said belt mounting means comprises a pair of parallel belt engaging members having arcuate surface portions about which opposite end portions of said belts are entrained, said belt engaging members being located at opposite ends of said rectangular opening.
 3. An imprinter device as in claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of said lowermost casing section is formed with a second rectangular opening adjacent said first rectangular opening, said support plate being formed with a second slot opening located in alignment with a portion of said second rectangular opening intermediate the ends thereof, a second set of laterally adjacent, flexible, endless indicia carrying belts, means for mounting said second set of belts to dispose the vertically related upper and lower run portions thereof in closely spaced relation to each other, said second set of belts being arranged to locate indicia carrying portions thereof within said second slot opening and to locate lower run portions thereof opposite said second rectangular opening, each of said belt mounting means comprising a pair of parallel belt engaging members having arcuate surface portions about which opposite end portions of said sets of belts are entrained, said belt engaging members being located at opposite ends of said rectangular openings, the pair of belt engaging members associated with said first set of belts having one of the belt engaging members thereof located in alignment with said first slot opening, said one belt engaging member including means for supporting a selected portion of said first set of belts to project the indicia on said selected belt portions aid first slot opening.
 4. An imprinter as in claim 3, and further including belt support means located in alignment with said second slot opening for supporting selected portions of said second set of belts to project the indicia thereon through said second slot opening.
 5. An imprinter device as in claim 1 and further including guide means projecting downwardly from the underside of said support plate for guiding the movement of the individual belts of said set of belts.
 6. An imprinter device as in claim 2, wherein said belt engaging members further include flat surface portions for supporting selected portions of said belts to project the indicia thereon through said slot opening.
 7. An imprinter device as in claim 2, and further including means on said lowermost casing section for non-rotatably mounting said belt engaging members.
 8. An imprinter device as in claim 3, and further including plate means interconnecting said belt engaging members, said plate means being located opposite the rectangular opening in the bottom wall of the lowermost casing section, said belt members contacting the outer surface of said plate means.
 9. An imprinter device as in claim 8, wherein said plate means is formed with a plurality of grooves on the outer surface thereof, said belts having on the inner surface thereof projections receivable in said grooves for registering selected indicia on said belts in said slot openings.
 10. An imprinter device as in claim 1 and further including means on said belts accessible through the rectangular opening in the bottom wall of said lowermost casing section for engagement by an implement to advance said belts. 